Alzheimer’s Disease

People with Alzheimer’s disease can experience both mental and physical symptoms. Your family members or friends might notice your symptoms before you do. Seeing a doctor and getting treatment while your symptoms are still in the early stages can help improve your long-term quality of life.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a type of dementia where brain cells die. The condition affects memory, thinking, and behavior. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, this disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer’s disease is more common in people over the age of 65, but some people have early onset AD and show symptoms as early as their 40s or 50s.

This is a progressive disease that worsens over time. It’s the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. After a diagnosis, people with the condition can live an average of four to 20 years.

Recognizing early symptoms of AD and intervening early helps prolong and improve your quality of life.

Early symptoms of AD

Early symptoms of AD can be mild and subtle — so subtle that you may not notice a change in your thinking or behavior. In the early stage of the disease, you’ll likely have trouble remembering new information. This is because the disease often begins to impact areas of the brain responsible for learning new information. You may repeat questions over and over, forget conversations or important appointments, or misplace objects such as your car keys.

Occasional memory loss can be a normal part of aging, so forgetfulness isn’t necessarily a sign of AD. However, you should speak with your doctor if the problem worsens.

Aging Alternatives Alzheimer’s Care Homes can help you at the moderate to severe level.

The top 10 warning signs

misplacing objects and being unable to retrace steps

memory loss that affects everyday life (unable to budget, drive to a location)

difficulty planning or problem solving

taking longer to accomplish normal daily tasks

losing track of time

difficulty following a conversation

having trouble determining distance and distinguishing colors

poor judgment leading to bad decisions

withdrawal from social activities

mood and personality changes and increased anxiety

Moderate symptoms of AD

Eventually, AD spreads to more regions of the brain. Family and friends may recognize changes in your thinking and behavior before you do. Sometimes, it’s hard to identify memory problems in ourselves. But as the disease progresses, you may recognize telltale symptoms in yourself, such as confusion and a shorter attention span. As more of your brain cells die, you’ll begin to show signs of moderate AD, which include:

problems recognizing friends and family members

difficulty with language and problems with reading, writing, or working with numbers

difficulty organizing thoughts and thinking logically

inability to learn new tasks or to cope with new or unexpected situations

inappropriate outbursts of anger

perceptual-motor problems, such as trouble getting out of a chair or setting the table

exacerbation of behavioral symptoms, such as restlessness, agitation, anxiety, tearfulness, and wandering — especially in the late afternoon or evening — called, “sundowning”

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Severe AD symptoms

At this point in the disease, brain plaques (clusters of protein that destroy brain cells) and tangles (dying nerve cells that twist around one another), may appear on imaging tests of the brain. Both are hallmarks of AD. This is the final stage of AD. People at this stage lose control of physical functions and depend on others for care. They sleep more often and are unable to communicate or recognize loved ones.

skin infections

groaning, moaning, or grunting

difficulty swallowing

repetitive statements or movement, and occasional muscle twitches

loss of impulse control, such as undressing at inappropriate times or places or using vulgar language

exacerbation of behavioral symptoms, such as restlessness, agitation, anxiety, tearfulness, and wandering — especially in the late afternoon or evening — called, “sundowning”

Due to the loss of physical function, people with late-stage AD may deal with complications. Difficulty swallowing can result in inhaling liquids into the lungs, which increases the risk of pneumonia. They may also suffer from malnutrition and dehydration. Limited mobility also increases the risk of bedsores.

CONDITIONS WITH SIMILAR SYMPTOMS

Conditions with similar symptoms

There are other causes of dementia with symptoms similar to AD. A doctor conducts physical and neurological examinations and uses brain imaging technology to diagnose or rule out AD. The following list of neurodegenerative diseases can mimic AD:

Parkinson’s disease with dementia leads to shaking and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination.

Vascular dementia occurs from impaired blood flow to the brain and leads to problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, and memory.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which are associated with personality, behavior, and language.